# @jpaulnadeau on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DQco4xijyG1
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/59787456-jpaulnadeau-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/7667d9ee13.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-10-30T20:53:59.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Paul Nadeau (@jpaulnadeau) — https://gondola.cc/jpaulnadeau

## Caption

Life is not easy. It is not fair, and we should avoid the entitlement trap of feeling like a victim; instead, we must get over it and get on with it. The first vital step is asking ourselves what success is to us. Success might mean more money, a happy marriage, a healthy family, helping others, or leaving the world a little bit better place than you found it.

Whatever your answer, you should do yourself the favor of not choosing anything that will jeopardize your soul. 

Prioritize who you are, who you want to be, and avoid spending time with anything that antagonizes your character. We must define our "hill" (success) and then put in the work to maintain it.

A key insight is that the first step to knowing our identity is usually not "I know who I am," but rather, "I know who I am not"—through a process of elimination. To find out where you need to be, eliminate who you are not first.

Stop giving your time and energy to those people, places, and things that hold you back. This includes friends that don't bring out the best in you, gossip too much, or are shady. It also means putting down the computer screen that keeps you from engaging with the world, or stopping consumption of food that tastes good going down but makes you feel lethargic later.

Trust that too many options will make a tyrant of us all. Get rid of the excess and wasted time; decrease your options. When you eliminate the "who's, the where's, the what's, and the wins" that were keeping you from your identity, you inadvertently find yourself spending more time in places that are healthy and bring you more joy.

We are the architects of our own lives. Let's study the habits, practices, and routines that feed our success and joy, and dissect those things to give thanks for them. When we make mistakes, we must own them, make amends, and move on, because guilt and regret kill many a man before their time. You are the author of the book of your life.

#MatthewMcConaughey #Motivation #LifeAdvice #DefineYourSuccess #ProcessOfElimination #ArchitectOfYourLife #GetOnWithIt

## Stats

- **Views:** 196
- **Likes:** 7
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 0

## Tags

architectofyourlife, motivation, lifeadvice, processofelimination, getonwithit, defineyoursuccess, matthewmcconaughey

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